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Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Bless Me, Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya

Synopsis: Stories filled with wonder and the haunting beauty of his culture have helped make Rudolfo Anaya the father of Chicano literature in English, and his tales fairly shimmer with the lyric richness of his prose. Acclaimed in both Spanish and English, Anaya is perhaps best loved for his classic bestseller ... Antonio Marez is six years old when Ultima comes to stay with his family in New Mexico. She is a curandera, one who cures with herbs and magic. Under her wise wing, Tony will test the bonds that tie him to his people, and discover himself in the pagan past, in his father's wisdom, and in his mother's Catholicism. And at each life turn there is Ultima, who delivered Tony into the world-and will nurture the birth of his soul.

Thoughts: I saw previews for the movie of this book on several videos we've rented recently, so I decided I wanted to read the book before watching the video. The book was a little difficult to read, a bit draggy for my taste. The story is a good one, though....a nice coming of age story from another culture. My rating: Two stars